Ex Umbrae
by Theta23
Summary: Slytherin House carries a terrible curse. Slytherins are educated knowing that one day they may be called upon to infiltrate the inner circle of a Dark Wizard. But the War is over, and Slytherin has been given a chance. The curse has been lifted. However it is up to Draco Malfoy and his friends to restore Slytherin's name. Can they do it or is Slytherin forever lost to the shadows?
1. Prologue

"Tell me it isn't true." said Professor McGonagall quietly. "Tell me it isn't true, Severus, tell me we never did this!" Her voice grew louder and more frantic as she continued to speak. "Tell me we didn't curse an entire House to a life in the shadows, tell me we didn't take futures away from children the second they were Sorted! Tell me it isn't true!" Tears were rolling down her aged, wrinkled face now, and she wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her robe. Severus Snape sighed. Covered in bandages, leaning heavily on a cane with one arm in a sling, the Head of Slytherin House was a sorry sight.

"It is true, Minerva. It has always been true. Every Headmaster or Headmistress of Hogwarts has lived with it since Edessa Sakndenberg. Why do you think the Head of Slytherin House has always been one who was in Slytherin themselves? It was to prevent more people than necessary from knowing. Eldritch Diggory came up with the idea, way, way back in the fifteenth century. He convinced Edessa, and from then on, it has remained. Traditions are hard to break. Not even Septimus Malfoy could convince the Ministry to stop. But it needs to go. Towards the end, over half of Voldemort's followers were made from Slytherins who had fallen. There are stone tablets in the common room, with the names of those who have died for the cause and those who have fallen. Salazar Slytherin never wanted this. Those children never asked for this, _I_ never asked for this, none of us did! All we ever wanted was to be allowed to be proud of our House, to be proud of the strength and the comradeship it inspires. You are aware of who we will have among our first-years, come September, and there is no doubt that she will become a Slytherin. Cassiopeia Lestrange will not allow herself to be Sorted into any other House." Severus sagged slightly after this outburst, turning away from the window he had been stood at and lowering himself carefully into a chair.

"I-I will talk to the Ministry. Severus, you must know that there is only so far I can go. Not even Kingsley will allow this much shame to fall onto the Ministry. I will stop the curse, but Slytherin House may have to pull itself out of the shadows." said Minerva strongly. "Can they do that?"

"They could." said Severus. "If they had the right leader. Have you received a list of the students returning to redo their seventh year yet?"

"Yes. It's here." said Minerva. She stepped around her desk and handed the list to Severus, who scanned it carefully.

"Malfoy, Zabini, Parkinson, Greengrass and Nott. And I see the Golden Trio will return. Very good. Who will you name as Head Boy and Girl? Surely not Potter and Granger."

"No. I have spoken to them already. They do not want it. I have a few people in mind for Head Girl. Luna Lovegood, perhaps, or Ginny Weasley. They will both be in seventh year this year, along with those from the year above who are coming back." said Minerva thoughtfully.

"The Weasley girl would be a good Head Girl. As for Head Boy, why not Draco?" suggested Severus. "He is a good leader."

"Draco?" exclaimed Minerva. "Severus, you can't be serious! The boy is spiteful, deceitful and cunning. Not only that but the students will never stand for it! They all saw him change sides during the battle!" Severus stood up suddenly, banging his cane on the floor.

"He did what he had to in order to do his duty. Draco never fell, never wavered. The boy you saw is not the real Draco Malfoy." he thundered. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a vial of silvery memories, before casting it into the Pensieve, which stood in a corner of the office. He limped over to it, Minerva following him and they both plunged their heads into the swirling water.

Blaise Zabini was curled up in a corner of the Room of Requirement, sobbing. Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, Astoria Greengrass and Draco Malfoy were sitting with him. Draco was rubbing Blaise's back soothingly as he sobbed.

"H-He screamed, he screamed so much, and the look on his face, Draco, he was so young," sobbed Blaise.

"I know, I know," whispered Draco soothingly. "Deep breaths Blaise, come on. We can't be in here for too long, the Carrows will only spend so long beating Longbottom."

"We can't do this any more, Draco." said Pansy tearfully. "The Cruciatus Curse on first-years, what next? They will stop at nothing. Perhaps...perhaps the Dark Lord is right. Perhaps we should join him."

"He's terrifying," whispered Astoria. "He's bound to realise we aren't really on his side, and then we will die."

"No." said Draco calmly. "We are stronger than him. He leads through fear. You have all seen your parents. Remember the crushing pain when their names were written on that tablet, and you know that the people who had raised you, who had loved you, the people you had called 'Mummy' and 'Daddy', that they were gone. Think of the younger children. The first-years. Could they deal with that pain, of watching us five become twisted? They are Slytherin, and as such we have a duty to them and to ourselves. Remember those days when we were children? Quidditch in the meadows, screaming with delight when a single spell was cast? Keep those memories in your hearts. Treasure them, and when it seems that all is lost, remember them. We may die, it is true. But we will die with honour in our hearts, and we will die knowing that we did not fall. Not truly." Draco looked at each of them in turn as he spoke, looking deep into their eyes, urging them to remember, and to stay true. Each of them nodded as he spoke, fresh conviction in their eyes. Blaise suddenly hugged Draco, who wrapped his arms around his best friend and held him tightly. The others joined in, until there was simply a pile of teenage Slytherins, bodies shaking from silent tears, but knowing that they would die for each other, for their House, and that they would stay true to the very end.

Minerva staggered back from the Pensieve, holding onto the edge of her desk for support.

"Now do you see?" asked Severus wearily. "They are strong enough. Draco is a born leader. Give him an opportunity to prove himself not just to you, but to the world. I treasure that memory, which he gave me as a sign of trust. He is ready." Minerva nodded.

"Yes. It is decided then. Draco Malfoy, as Head Boy, shall lead Slytherin House out of the shadows. So be it."


	2. Hogwarts, Once More

Draco Malfoy walked out of the Headmistress' Office in shock. Only when he had rounded a corner and made sure that no-one was around did he allow himself to smile, and punch the air. Then, he headed down the corridor to the dungeons and muttered the password quickly, sweeping in.

"Everybody! Gather round!" he called. All the Slytherins were either in the common room or the dormitories, and they came quickly, until the entire House was assembled before him. "Good news. Who here does not know of the curse of Slytherin House?" A few first years, looking terrified in a corner, raised their hands.

"Muggle-born?" asked Draco. They nodded. "For as long as we can remember, the members of Slytherin House have been sent into the inner circle of Dark Wizards, working to destroy them from the inside. These stone tablets behind me list those who have been killed or those who have lost themselves, and become mindless slaves of a Dark Wizard. All Slytherins bear this curse. However, the Headmistress has taken mercy upon us." An excited murmuring spread among them, and a smile spread across Draco's face. "It is time, my friends, for Slytherin House to return from the shadows!" He cried, and everybody cheered and whooped. He smiled as he watched them celebrating, but he knew that he would have to bring them down to earth. "However, this will not be easy. Part of our curse was that we must live with the mistrust of all around us. That will not end because we say so. We have been forbidden from simply telling everybody of the curse, because that would embarrass the Ministry. We have to earn their trust, through House unity. This will be hard. You may feel as though the weight of the world is on our shoulders and, I will not lie to you, it is. If we fail, Slytherin House will still be known as the evil house. New first years will still pray not to be sorted into Slytherin, even those whose ancestors are inscribed on these tablets. We must not let our predecessors deaths go in vain. You may all go now, except for the seventh years."

The crowd dispersed, leaving the seventh years standing, watching Draco. He beckoned them over to a side room, and they all sat down around the table that was in there. He looked around the table, seeing both old friends and new. Blaise, Pansy, Theo and Astoria were there but there were also those who had just finished their sixth year, and had moved up, to join those who had returned from war. He knew all of their names: Alice, Orion, Tom, James and Elizabeth, to name but a few. "We will face prejudice. It will not be easy, but I wish to remind you of one thing. Those who despise our house will not limit themselves to the older ones among us. We must protect the lower years, particularly the first and second years, who have no hope of defending themselves against someone like Cho Chang or Ernie Macmillan." Blaise let out a weary sigh.

"Yes. Forgive me Draco, but this task seems impossible." Draco shrugged.

"There is nothing to forgive. However, there is one gift we have been given. The Golden Trio are to be told by us, and we will put our pride aside and ask them for help. I doubt they will refuse." he said. The others nodded. "That's all. Now, lets go and enjoy being back at Hogwarts, the way it should be." They all stood and walked out leaving Draco there. "You can come out now." he said, seemingly to the air. A small girl stepped out from a corner, and sat on the table. She had short, straight black hair, dark eyes and pale skin. She was small for her age and quite skinny. Draco leaned back in his chair and smiled at her. "What's up, Cass?" Cass shrugged.

"Nothing much." Draco rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"Come on Cass, I'm your cousin. You think I can't tell when something's wrong? Tell me." She shrugged, staring at her hands.

"Are we really going to be attacked?" She asked. Draco sighed and leaned forward, placing both hands on her shoulders. "Quite possibly. There are those blinded by what they think the Slytherins did, and those who have been raised to despise us, much like the world thought we were raised to despise the others. You will have a better chance than most of your year Cass, I'll be honest, because you've suffered through much worse than anything a seventh year could throw at you, and you can defend yourself more, but that doesn't mean you can play the hero and get yourself killed or wounded. If something happens, use your judgement. Generally, run. If you make it into the dungeons, you should be alright. I don't want to see you in the hospital wing, alright?" Cass nodded. "Good. Now, come on. I'll take you to Severus to get your potion." They stood up and walked out, Draco's hand resting firmly on Cass' shoulder. Most of the Slytherins looked at them curiously, bar the seventh years, who all knew who Cass was. They walked out of the common room and down the corridor towards Professor Snape's dungeon. Draco knocked on the door.

"Enter." called Snape, and they walked in. The dungeon was as dark as ever, and Professor Snape himself was bent over a cauldron. He straightened up and nodded when he saw them.

"Ah, Draco, Cassiopeia. Here for the potions? I'll get them, for you." He disappeared into his Potions store and came out holding two vials of potion, one clear and one a dark blue. He handed the dark blue one to Cass carefully. "Remember. Two drops, dreamless sleep. Three drops, comatose." Cass nodded.

"I know, sir. I've only been taking it my whole life." Snape smiled tightly.

"Yes, well, judging from the idiocy of the rest of your year, I thought it best to take precautions. Now, you'll have to take this one here. I'm not allowed to let it out of my sight. Drink it all, I've modified the potion so it doesn't taste so foul." Cass nodded, stowing the sleep potion in her cloak, and taking the other one from Snape. She uncorked the vial and drank it all, handing it back to him with a grimace.

"Still doesn't taste nice, though."

"Yes, but it does the job. You won't need another one until term ends. Now off you go, I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow. You too Draco, unless there's anything else?"

"Yes, actually. Cass, go back to your friends."

Cass rolled her eyes. "Alright, no need to patronise me." She walked out of the dungeon, and closed the door behind her.

"Have you heard, Professor?" asked Draco. Snape raised an eyebrow.

"Heard what?"

"About the curse." said Draco urgently. Snape smiled fully.

"Yes. In fact, I was the one who put the idea forward." Draco looked surprised.

"You?"

"Yes. It had gone on for long enough, and we lost much more than we gained, by sending children into the field. The Headmistress hastened to agree with me, particularly when I brought up your cousin's case. Absolutely horrible, that is."

"Yeah." said Draco. "She's gone through enough already, being dragged away from the only home she'd ever known and being tortured mercilessly about things she had no knowledge of, by the parents she'd never known. I just thank God for the Memory Suppressor Potion. I'm not sure I could sleep knowing that she could remember everything that had happened in perfect clarity."

"It's good that you're so protective of her, though." said Snape thoughtfully. "She needs someone like that, someone she can rely on. I need to tell you something, though. I'm sure you'll already have thought about the first and second years being attacked by older students, but Cassiopeia's name could make her a target. The Lestranges were never well liked at all."

"Anyone lays a finger on Cass, they'll answer to me." growled Draco. "And that goes for any Slytherin."

"Don't do anything stupid, Draco." warned Snape. "You can go now."

Draco walked out of the dungeon, and Cass stood up from where she had been leaning against the wall. She fell into step with him easily.

"Draco?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"What...what if the other kids don't like me?" she asked, sounding timid, and Draco was struck by how, even with all the trouble she'd had, she could still be worried about something like that, just like every other kid starting a new school.

"Then they're idiots. You can always come and hang out with us if you need to, you know you're always welcome." said Draco confidently. Cass smiled.

"Alright. Thanks." They reached the entrance to the common room and muttered the password quietly, before sliding in. Cass moved over to a group of first years, joining in the conversation effortlessly, and Draco headed over to the corner currently occupied by the seventh years, both old and new.

"How is she?" asked Blaise, nodding over to Cass.

"Memory Suppressed. A little nervous about a new school and all that, but honestly I'd much rather have her nervous about that than nervous about being snatched by Death Eaters." answered Draco honestly.

"How are we supposed to get the Golden Trio to speak to us?" asked Orion.

"Ask them?" offered Alice, and the rest of the group shook their heads.

"They won't come alone. We'll either have to ask Severus, or kidnap them." said Theo.

"I suggest we ask Severus first. Somehow, I don't think kidnapping the Golden Trio is going to help us prove to the world that we're actually on their side." said Pansy.

"Yeah." agreed Tom. "I mean, everyone in my year is already scared of me because I'm a Slytherin and my name is Tom. It's ridiculous."

"It is." agreed Draco. He looked at the clock. Half past ten. He stood up, held his wand to his throat and began to speak, his voice amplified by the charm.

"Everybody, curfew starts now. Lights go out in ten minutes, and I know it's the first night but please, I don't want any trouble until morning. We are planning a midnight feast, but that will be later on in the term. Go on, up to bed now, everybody." The Slytherins all began to move towards the staircases leading down to the dorms, and Draco swept the common room, making sure nobody was left. He reached into a particularly dark corner and hauled out Cass and a young boy, Blaise's little brother, Matteo.

"Go to bed, you two. Now." said Draco sternly.

"Yeah." said Blaise, coming to stand next to Draco. The other seventh years had also gone to bed, and it was just the four of them. "Get to bed, you want to be rested for tomorrow. Besides, the fifth years will induct you at some point, and this is the only night you know for certain you can sleep easy. Now go." The two slunk down to their dorms, saying goodnight with a bump of fists, and Draco and Blaise headed down the boys steps. They walked past Matteo, who was pulling on a pair of silk pyjamas, to their beds at the very end of the large dungeon, which held all of the male Slytherins. They changed quickly, nodding goodnight to each other, and slid into bed, extinguishing their wand lights and plunging the entire dungeon into a silent darkness, broken only by the occasional snuffle or snore from a sleeping boy.

**A/N: There will be another chapter up, hopefully today. Let me know what you think. **


	3. The First Night

Draco was jerked awake roughly. He looked up and saw Pansy, standing over his bed.

"Wh-What are you doing here?" he asked sleepily.

"It's Cass." said Pansy urgently. "She's having a nightmare, we can't wake her up." Draco jerked out of bed instantly and pulled his cloak around him. He followed Pansy out and into the girls dorm, where she led him to Cass' bed. She was tossing and turning, her face contorted in distress. As he watched, she opened her mouth in a soundless scream, before beginning to mutter.

"Please...no...I don't know...they left me...please." Draco hurried to the bed and caught hold of Cass tightly, stopping her from moving. She still struggled, and no matter how much he tried to talk to her, she would not wake up. Finally, Draco pulled out his wand and tapped Cass on the forehead with it. She jolted slightly, and stilled, before sitting up. She opened her eyes and instantly curled up into a ball, pressing her face into her knees and taking deep breaths. Draco glared at the girls on either side of her, who were openly staring, and then he placed a hand on Cass' shoulder.

"Did you take the potion?" Cass nodded. "Are you sure?" questioned Draco, searching her face for any kind of doubt. Cass reached over to her bedside table and pulled the potion out of a drawer. She held up the vial for Draco to see. It was clear that some of it had been taken, as Severus had put the potion in a vial which measured the number of drops. The number had dropped by two since he had given it to her. Draco sighed.

"In the morning, we'll talk to Severus again. For now, just try and get some sleep, if you can." He paused as he realised that he was surrounded by fourth and fifth year girls, who were all giggling to each other. He also remembered that he hadn't stopped to put a shirt on, and he rolled his eyes.

"I won't be able to sleep, Draco." said Cass softly, her eyes downcast. Draco ran a hand through his sleep-disheveled hair and sighed. He had no idea what to do.

"Cass," said a soft voice from next to him. He looked up to see Astoria standing there, wearing a silk nightgown. She held her hand out to Cass and smiled gently. "Come on. I've got something to show you. Put a cloak on though, it's a bit chilly outside. You too, Draco. You might want to put a shirt on first." she smirked. Cass got out of bed and pulled a cloak around her, before grasping Astoria's hand carefully. Draco summoned a shirt with a flick of his wand, and pulled it on before following them.

"Get back to bed, you lot." barked Pansy. "Fawn over Draco's shirtless figure in the morning." She, however, conjured a Patronus and sent it flickering out of the girl's dorm, before walking towards the exit into the common room.

"Where are you going?" cried a fifth-year girl. Pansy smirked.

"Some of us have boyfriends of our own to fawn over." Draco held back a chuckle as they exited the dorm.

"Typical Pansy." he chortled. "She was going to meet up with Theo anyway."

Astoria led them up towards the Astronomy Tower, but paused when she heard Filch. Draco reacted quickly, pulling her into an alcove with him, and pushing Cass towards a statue, which she hid behind easily. Draco held Astoria against him tightly in order to make sure that Filch didn't notice them, and Cass wormed her way further into the corner she was hiding in. Filch passed by, mercifully not noticing any of them, and all three let out a shaky breath when he disappeared around a corner. They climbed out of their hiding places and Astoria continued to lead them up the Astronomy Tower, until they made it to the top. It was a beautiful, cloudless night, and Astoria beckoned Cass over to her. They stood at the edge of the tower, and Astoria told Cass to look up. With her wand, she gestured towards a star, burning brightly.

"Do you know what star that is?" she asked Cass.

"No." replied Cass. Draco smiled. He knew exactly what star it was.

"Cassiopeia. Just like you. I like to come up here when I can't sleep. The stars are beautiful, and comforting as well." said Astoria. "They keep burning, on and on until it's their time to stop. It doesn't matter what happens down here, the stars keep burning. Now come on. We'll get some cocoa from the kitchens and play chess until morning." As Cass began to descend the staircase, Draco caught Astoria's arm.

"You don't have to do this." he said. "I can stay up with her."

"It's fine, Draco. She's a good kid, and besides, we can't have our fearless leader exhausted for the first day of school. Remember, not everybody knows that you're Head Boy, yet. I can't imagine Gryffindor being pleased."

"You two! Hurry up!" hissed Cass impatiently. Draco let go of Astoria's arm and followed Cass down the stairwell. The three split up, as Draco headed back to the common room, and Astoria led Cass towards the kitchens, telling her a story about Draco getting caught raiding the kitchen in Malfoy Manor when he was three years old.

When Draco reached the common room, he realised that his little cousin wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping that night. Blaise was standing by the fireplace, his face shadowed. Pansy and Theo watched him cautiously from the armchair they were curled up in.

"Aren't we all setting a brilliant example?" remarked Draco. The other three jumped slightly as he made his presence known, before returning to their former positions.

"Anyone who shouldn't be out of bed comes up those stairs without a good reason, I'll make sure they don't sleep for weeks." said Blaise, his voice gravelly from sleep. Draco frowned, and crossed the common room to stand in front of Blaise, who still did not look up.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly. Blaise cast a look at Pansy and Theo, and Draco looked at them pleadingly, hoping they would understand. They did, and slipped off into their dorms, parting with a kiss.

When they had gone, Blaise's shoulders slumped.

"I'm such a wimp." he said quietly. "It's just...all I can remember here is the screams. He was so _young_, Draco, and I-I cursed him! I stood right here and cursed him, with the Carrows and the rest of the House watching. What kind of monster am I?" Draco sighed.

"You're just human. Like the rest of us. You had no choice. Torturing yourself like this isn't going to help anything." He prayed his words would reassure Blaise, but he knew that there were no magical words to solve this.

"Every time I close my eyes, I see him." whispered Blaise. "I cast that spell with hatred for the Carrows, Draco, but after three seconds, it was with hatred for myself. I can't even look at myself in the mirror, because all I can see is him. I didn't even know his _name_." Blaise's voice broke on the last word, and Draco hugged him tightly, stroking the shorter boy's hair to try and calm him down.

"Deep breaths, Blaise." he murmured. "Deep breaths. You've got to move past this. You need to rest, you'll be exhausted by morning otherwise." Blaise collapsed into an armchair.

"Draco, charm me." he said resignedly. "Bewitched sleep, like you used on the spiders."

"Blaise," sighed Draco. "Are you sure?" Blaise nodded.

"It's the only way I'll get any rest. I'll ask Severus for some Sleeping Draught in the morning, but until then, you'll have to charm me. Take the charm off when you wake up. I'll be fine."

"Come on then, get to bed. I'm not carrying your snoring arse down the stairs." said Draco, smirking slightly. Blaise rose and the two walked down the steps into the dorm.

"Better check they're all asleep first." said Blaise, and Draco nodded. The two split up and began to pace through the dorm, waving their wands over each bed. They reached the middle, where the fifth years slept, at the same time, and found that almost every single fifth year was awake.

"Morons." muttered Blaise. "Levicorpus? I'll muffle them."

"When you're ready," said Draco calmly. Blaise waved his wand at the rest of the dorm, muttering the spell, and then Draco flicked his wand. As one, the fifth year boys rose up, wriggling and yelling.

"Hey!"

"What's going on?"

"Put me down!"

"Shut up." said Draco calmly.

"Who do you think you are, the bloody Head Boy?" asked one fifth year, who clearly hadn't recognised Draco's voice.

"As a matter of fact, I am Head Boy. So shut up, Arcturus, or I'll be forced to confiscate that stash of Fanged Frisbees that's under your bed." threatened Draco. He flicked his wand, and the now silent fifth-years floated towards the stairs, Draco and Blaise following them easily. Draco deposited the fifth years in a heap in the centre of the common room.

"The first night of the school year is not the time to be plotting pranks, ogling porn or whatever else it was you were doing. Particularly not this year. I need to know that I can count on you all and that I can trust you to do as I say. If you can't even listen to me on little things, how the hell am I supposed to trust you to make sure that the first years don't get ambushed?" Draco's voice was steely and unforgiving. "There will be time for staying up late and playing pranks later. But we're all on edge tonight, there are first-year Muggle-borns who don't know what they've walked into, and I need you lot to be responsible enough to go to sleep at a normal time. Now go to bed, and _sleep._" The fifth years shuffled off ashamedly, except Arcturus, who stood, looking at the floor sadly.

"It was my idea." he said quietly. "To...test you. We, no, I needed to know what you'd do, if you'd even notice, and I dragged them into it with me. Last year was terrifying. I needed to be certain. You know we all spent the summer in the Muggle world. To convince people we'd changed. But my parents were never in Slytherin. They went to Durmstrang. They were always Death Eaters, they weren't going to give that up so that I could come back to Hogwarts. So I turned them in. I sent my own parents to Azkaban." Arcturus' voice was slowly fading away as he stood, still staring at the floor. "I'm sorry. You don't need to hear about all of this, I should just go to bed. We won't try anything again until the induction. I swear it." Arcturus turned towards the dungeon, but Draco called him back.

"The war affected us all. If you need to talk about it, we're all here. Spread the word among the lower years. The seventh years are here to talk, as always, and to help. With anything." he said reassuringly.

"Literally, anything. Girls, homework, whatever." added Blaise, smiling at the younger boy. "Now come on, get to bed." Blaise put a hand on the younger boy's back, guiding him down the steps carefully, Draco following them after casting one last look around the common room. When he and Blaise reached their beds, Blaise pulled back the covers on his and climbed in quickly, before turning to Draco expectantly.

"Ready?" asked Draco, and Blaise nodded. "_Dormire._" Blaise's eyes closed and his head hit the pillow almost instantly. The ever-present tension in his jaw had finally faded, and Draco was struck with a wave of nostalgia as he realised how much younger his best friend looked asleep. He sighed and turned to his bed, before climbing in and relaxing completely. It had been a long first night.

**A/N: So Slytherins don't really sleep well. And everyone's a bit uneasy. Let me know what you think?**


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